Sunday, February 28, 2010

Top 3 Water Based Novels That You Have Never Heard Of Before

Water ShaperLaura Williams McCaffrey
***** 5 Stars

Margot is a princess, but she is not beloved. Her mother died when she was very young. Passing on the unnatural longing for water and a strange book, which smells of the sea and contains strange images like nothing Margot had ever seen before in the landlocked kingdom that she lives in. One day she meets Orrin, a foreign king. Who rules a kingdom by the sea, seeing her chance, she escapes with Orrin, back to the kingdom by the sea. There she discovers the truth of the mysterious book which hides from those who seek it, and finds out who she truly is and what power she holds.

This book was amazing! All the action, betrayal, and depth to this book is outstanding! My favorite character was Margot, she fights for what she wants and can withstand anything. She starts off as a naive young woman who has no idea what the world beholds outside the walls of her fathers isolated kingdom. But as she discovers the truth, and believes in herself, when she realizes she can withstand anything, it teaches her that she is the only one who can control her own future. This is definitely not your average fairytale.
Some content in this book may not be appropriate for children, such as drinking.

Water Steps
A. LaFaye
*****5 Star

Shape-shifting silkies, baby-stealing fairies, and spitting in water as a test for liars. Kyna's adoptive parents have an endless stream of stories to keep her amused. But no matter how hard they try, Kyna can't get over her fear of water. As a small child, a storm at sea claimed her family, and nearly took her own life. Now even seeing a glass of water makes her freeze up, while her mind goes awash with stormy waves and sees the image of her family slowly slipping away.
When Kyna's parents rent a house on a "magical" lake, she begs to stay home. No such luck.
At the lake, Kyna resolves to hide in the woods, and stay as far away from the water as possible. As she explores the forests, she meets Tylo, a boy who is set on proving that there are silkies in the lake, where Kyna finds herself dangerously close to the water, and dangerously close to a truth she cant believe.

Water Steps was probably one of the reasons I became inspired to start photography, Kyna made it sound so wonderful (which it is). Every word was chosen exactly, and couldn't have been worded any better. My favorite character was Kyna, how she overcame her fear and accepted her parents for who they were. This book is filled with humor, emotion and everything else. This book puts a twist on a handful of your everyday celtic myths.

Seven Tears Into The Sea
Terri Farley
***** 5 Stars

At the age of ten, Gwen Cooke woke in the middle of the night and was drawn to the beach, where she encountered a strange boy with liquid dark eyes. He whispered into her ear a strange rhyme, then left, vanishing into the waves. After telling her family of her strange encounter, they shortly after move away from the ocean, to a landlocked town.

Now seventeen, Gwen is returning to her childhood home. Her nana asked her to come for the summer, But Gwen knows there are other reasons, its time to return to the thing she has not seen in seven years, the sea. Perhaps the sea is calling to her, maybe she still clings to the thought that the encounter with the strange boy, was real. Even though it was the very thing that made her family leave. His words seem to haunt her mind, drawing her back to the place where they met. Perhaps it is time to face her destiny.

This book was moving, it is full of intense romance, the conquering of fears, and a teenage girls story of her struggle to stop running from the past, and to embrace the present and future.
This story is one of my favorites, the characters are done really well, and the story leaves an an imprint in you mind long after the last page has been turned.
My favorite character was Gwen, I always like the characters who evolve and strengthen the most in every story. I like Gwen because she was always proud, and bold, but she was fragile enough that if something too deep came along, she would break down. In the end she always knew what the right thing to do was, and was able to conquer her fears. This fiction book is one of its kind.

These three books were hard to find, you have to be a hard core book shopper to track down these stories. But it is worth it! To find rare books like these, I always go by the same rule, look in the most unlikely places. You might just find the best book! But to help, go to Amazon, that website is a treasure trove. Here are the links to order these books: Water Shaper, Water Steps, Seven Tears Into The Sea.